La The Darkman Returns With A SRC/Universal Deal

Ten years after a Wu-Tang introduction, The Aphilliates Music Group co-founder returns with another album.

Fans of the Wu-Tang Clan might not realize what one of their own has been up to in recent years. La The Darkman, who in 1998, released Heist of the Century, which reportedly went gold worldwide on Atlantic Records, has become a co-founder in the Aphilliates Music Group with DJ Drama. La, who executive produced the recent Gangsta Grillz album, as well as being featured on it, has decided to return to album-making after a 10-year hiatus.

"Me and Steve Rifkind finished a deal a couple months ago," revealed La The Darkman to HipHopDX exclusively today. The SRC/Universal-backed venture will likely see a yet-to-be-titled release by late-summer or fall. The release will feature some familiar producers that La worked with 10 years ago, namely RZA and Havoc, as well as Scott Storch and Don Cannon. "A lot of people didn't understand how someone from New York could make the Gangsta Grillz sound, but it's just hardcore music. I'm a universal guy," La added. "I'm trying to build a new dynasty, similar to the Wu-Tang dynasty."

To promote the return, what more fitting than a Gangsta Grillz mixtape? Releasing next week, DJ Drama and La The Darkman will be releasing The Notorious L.A.D. mixtape. "I'm really just promo-ing for my album, really showing my executive production and A&R skills more than anything. When I put my first album out, I was a teenager. A lot of people don't know, I put my whole first album together. I was just so young, but I had a lot of older brothers around me in the business that people might not have understood my worth. I did the graphics, the logo. It was all independent. I never dropped another album because I didn't understand consistency as a teenager. As a man, I just started a new chapter."

HipHopDX will be showcasing songs from the album and mixtape starting next week, stay tuned.